Most "trapped in a video game" series are high-energy action, and that's loads of fun. But .hack//SIGN takes these elements, and turns them into a slow, philosophical, mood-based narrative, asking questions about identity, gender, relationships, and existence. It's something you soak in, something where people rest and have conversations under the dappled shade of virtual trees, where a giant blobby sphere that drains people's data is a metaphor for the barriers we put up to block out the world.

Needlessly convoluted plot. Didn't make much sense, though it had some flashy cool elements that made it attractive.

I haven’t seen this since it first aired on Cartoon Network, and to be honest I had trouble following the story. But I fell in love with the music.